This Day in Laker History: November 19th

In lieu of the regular season, Laker Nation has decided to take you back through Laker history to recap important games, record-breaking performances and memorable news from the past 64 years of the franchise. We understand that it’s not the basketball you may have been hoping for, but for the time being, it’s the closest we’ll get to reading about the Lakers on a basketball court.

Following two free throws on a night in Portland, the crowd of 12,666 gave a standing ovation that lasted 20 seconds. The free throws weren’t shot by a Portland player, nor were they important in the context of the game as it was it was the third quarter. They were important historically, however, as the two free throws made by Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the 29,999th and 30,000th of his 15-year career, joining only Wilt Chamberlain at the time as the only two members of the 30,000 club.

Abdul-Jabbar would go on to score 20 points in the 117-110 victory over the Trailblazers, putting him at 30,007 career points. It would be the seventh consecutive win for the Lakers, who would improve to 9-2 on the season. During the standing ovation, Laker legend Jerry West would come on to the court to shake Abdul-Jabbar’s hand, telling him “to score 10,000 more” – Abdul-Jabbar would nearly oblige, as he would finish his career five years later with over 38,000 points.

Quote of the Night: “People have taken for granted that I would do it. That’s kind of a back-handed compliment, I guess. But at least they expected me to do well instead of poorly.” -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on scoring 30,000 points and the expectations of Laker fans. – From the LA Times, Nov. 20, 1983

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With the Lakers off to a poor start, trade rumors have begun to swirl around Kobe Bryant, leading many to speculate if he'll leave for greener pastures. Kobe puts those rumors to rest in his interview with Yahoo Sports.